Improvement in boys  sleds



J. N. BROWN.

Sled.

Patented Apr. 8, 1862 GIT/W N-FETERS FHDTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHNGTUN, D c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.T. N. BROWN, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT lN BOYS SLEDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,874, dated April 8, 1862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. N. BROWN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Boys Sled; and I do hereby declare that the followingis afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichv Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference in both figures indicate corresponding parts.

Boys sleds of the ordinary construction such as are generally used for coasting or going down over the slope of the hill-are guided by pushing the heel or foot down on that side to which it is desired to head the sled. This operation causes considerable wear and tear of the boots, particularly with boys having little practice in coasting, and if the motion of the sled is rapid the snow which is scraped off by pushing the heel down flies up on the inside and outside of the pantaloons and causes a disagreeable feeling to the operator. To overcome these difiiculties is the object of my invention, which consists in the arrangement of a pivoted runner in front, and right in the middle between the ordinary runners of a boys sled, in combination with a foot-lever or tiller and guidingcord,in such a manner that said runner can be turned in either direction by hand or foot and that the sled can be guided without touching the ground.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings.

The sled A is constructed in the ordinary manner with a seat a and two runners b,either in the form and shape such as represented in the drawings or in-anyother desirable shape, such as in common use. From the middle of the front part of the seat an arm B extends, the rear end of which is firmly secured to the seat and the front end of which forms the bearing for the pivot or swivel c, from which the central guiding-runner O is suspended; as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The length of the guiding-runner and of the arm Bis so adjusted that said guiding-runner can turn without coming in contact with the ordinary runners I). From the guiding-runner O a foot lever or tiller 61 extends in a direction at right angles to said runner, and a cord 6, which is attached to both ends of said tiller, extends back to the seat of the sled, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. By placing the feet on the tiller the guiding-runner C can thus be turned in either direction and the sled headed to any point of the compass, or the guiding-runner may be operated by the cord e.

By this attachment of the pivoted runner C the sled can be guided without touching the ground with the feet, and the additional cost of a sled with my attachment is trifling. I

It is obvious that the runner C can be at tached to any sled, old or new, with little trouble.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent as a new article of manufac ture, is

A boys sled A, having a pivoted runner O in front provided with a foot-leveror tiller d and guiding-cord e, as and for the purposes shown and described.

J. N. BROWN.

Witnesses: JAMES LAIRD, RICHARDSON GAWLEY. 

